


let this remain;

by unintentionallyangsty



Series: drive the dark things away; [9]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - Fandom
Genre: (mild), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awesome Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), BAMF Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), BAMF Loki (Marvel), Blood, Dysfunctional Family, Families of Choice, Family, Family Feels, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Loki Lives (Marvel), POV Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Protective Loki (Marvel), Protective Thor (Marvel), Self-Sacrifice, Team as Family, The Statesman, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Torture, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26927452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unintentionallyangsty/pseuds/unintentionallyangsty
Summary: When Loki and the Valkyrie are abducted while gathering supplies on an unknown outpost, some rash decisions are made in order to guarantee a safe escape.Or, more accurately, a safe escape for one of them.(Whumptober 2020 Prompt #9 Fill: "Take Me Instead".).
Relationships: Brunnhilde | Valkyrie & Loki (Marvel), Loki & Thor (Marvel)
Series: drive the dark things away; [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949623
Comments: 16
Kudos: 163
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	let this remain;

**Author's Note:**

> Loki & the Valkyrie. (|| brief Loki & Thor). set during the time spent on the _Statesman_
> 
> written for the Whumptober 2020 Prompt #9 Fill: "Take Me Instead". 

“You’re not going.” 

Val blinked, and fought the urge to yawn behind the back of her hand as she watched as Loki’s features darkened slightly, before he took a small step closer to where Thor was stood beside the entrance to the _Commodore_ , his arms crossed tightly over his chest and a steely expression on his face that brooked no room for argument. 

Not that Loki had ever taken heed of that particular warning. 

“Thor,” he replied, lowly, “It’s a stop on an unknown outpost for fuel and supplies. You don’t possess much of a talent for bartering, and you’re King of Asgard.” something dangerous sparked just behind his eyes, then. “I’m going.” 

“I need you here.” Thor argued with a small shake of his head.

“You’re King.” Loki repeated, slowly, as if he were speaking to a particularly stupid child. “Of a people who have very recently been uprooted from their home and need a stable monarch, at the very least. You’re not going alone.” 

There was a low, warning note to his tone and, though it was not directed at her, Val felt something like trepidation chill the skin of her arms and shoulders at the sound of it. 

Only an idiot would have argued with him while he was like this, she reflected. 

Which was, of course, where Thor came in. 

“It’s too dangerous.” 

“You’re _king--_ ” 

“Alright!” Val cried, before the two could work themselves into another one of their famously long winded arguments.

Thor started slightly at her cry, almost as if he’d forgotten that she was there at all (and wasn’t that flattering?), though Loki simply stilled before turning to face her with a scowl. 

“Enough.” Val continued with a small roll of her eyes. “We don’t have all day to sit here while you two squabble.” she straightened from where she had been leaned against the far wall of the hangar, and strode toward the _Commodore’s_ open entrance. “We’ll all go.” 

“We--” Thor faltered, his gaze flickering between Loki and where Val was currently boarding the ship. 

“Less of a chance of running into trouble with three of us.” she called over her shoulder, not bothering to turn and see if either was following her. 

She was relatively confident in her knowing the two of them well enough, by now, to more or less expect them to follow, at any rate.

And, after a moment, they did, Thor muttering something unintelligible beneath his breath as Val hit the panel to close the door behind them with a small smirk. 

“She’s got a point, you know.” Loki was saying, something like satisfaction smoothing his features. 

Thor glowered. 

“Shut up, Loki.” 

\---

Loki’s satisfaction, as it turned out, did not last long, for not ten minutes into their time on the small outpost Thor was already suggesting that they part ways. 

“Are you mad?” Loki hissed, his features already twisting into a dark scowl. “You don’t know this planet any better than either of us.” 

“I’m gonna have to side with Lackey on this one.” Val cut in, and ignored the flicker of surprise on Loki’s face in favor of continuing, “We’re all at a disadvantage, here. We may as well get what we came for together and go.” 

“And it will take us far less time to do so if we each take a task.” Thor countered, glancing briefly back at the ship with something like worry creasing his features. “We shouldn’t be gone long.”

“Fine.” to Val’s surprise (and Thor’s, if his expression was anything to go by), Loki rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion and waved his hand. “You go find some suitable rations, then. The Valkyrie and I will go attempt to haggle for fuel.” 

Thor hesitated, seemingly taken aback at Loki’s sudden agreement. 

Val, too, was slightly thrown off by the shift, though she wasn’t entirely certain that the suggestion had not come without an ulterior motivation. 

Her suspicions were more or less confirmed when, after a beat, Loki offered a half-sneer, half-smirk. 

“Unless you need my assistance, of course.” he blinked several times in succession. “I can imagine that you don’t have very much experience shopping on a budget.” 

Oh, of _course_. Val fought the urge to roll her eyes. 

Though she wasn’t entirely certain of Loki’s motive (and, really, when was she ever?), Val knew that Loki was well aware (probably more so than anyone) that the easiest way to distract Thor was by poking at his temper. 

That, or, in this case, his pride. 

And, Val considered as she watched as Thor began to scowl in irritation, of course he would fall for it. 

Because of _course_ these two had to be that predictable. 

“We meet back here in an hour.” Thor commanded, lowly, narrowing his eye and shooting Loki a warning look before he turned and, after a brief nod to the Valkyrie, began to tread into the crowded marketplace. 

“And stay out of trouble!” he called over his shoulder. 

“As you wish.” Loki replied with a mocking tilt of his head, his gaze not leaving Thor’s back even as he disappeared into the crowd. 

“Alright,” Val demanded, the second Thor was out of sight, rounding to face Loki fully and crossing both her arms over her chest. “Why are you okay with this?” 

“He was hardly going to be talked out of it.” Loki did not bother to mince words, though the slight furrow between his brows as he shot another look in the direction Thor had disappeared in belied the lightness of his tone. 

“Besides,” Loki continued, after a moment, his expression smoothing into one of casual ease. “You’re a scrapper, are you not?” 

Val frowned, a little taken aback by the sudden shift in topic. 

He had to stop doing that, she reflected distantly. 

“Guess it depends on the day.” she replied, after a moment. 

“And how about today?” Loki inquired lowly with another twisted, almost leering smile. 

It was at times like these that Val could almost believe that the prince had once been considered one of Asgard’s most formidable threats. 

She opened her mouth to tell him to kindly fuck off (they had a schedule to keep, after all), only for the suggestion behind the words to belatedly catch up with her. 

“You mean…” she trailed off, raising one brow and waggling her fingers suggestively. 

“Precisely.” Loki nodded, his grin softening into something a little less threatening and a little more--

Well, mischievous. 

Val snorted. “I don’t think your brother would approve.” 

“Thor doesn’t approve of many things I do.” Loki replied at once, and shrugged indifferently. “I’ve hardly let it stop me in the past.” 

He turned to enter the bustling marketplace, leaving the Valkyrie to hesitate, briefly, before she hastened to catch up. 

“Besides,” Loki was saying, though he did not bother to turn and meet her gaze. “It was his idea to run off on his own. We can hardly be held accountable for what happens in the interim.” 

“He told us to stay out of trouble.” Val reminded, though the effort was weak even to her own ears, and she could feel her blood beginning to thrum in the anticipation of putting her particularly…specific skill-set to good use. 

Being a scrapper was, after all, not necessarily a valuable trait while floating listlessly through space on a ship full to the brim with Asgardians. 

“Yes,” Loki was agreeing, and hummed as if carefully considering her words, before he turned to give her a small smile. “But you like this kind of trouble.” 

And, Val considered, something like excitement fluttering in her gut at the words, she couldn’t argue that. 

“Damn it, Lackey.” she growled, more for sake of appearances, than anything, and allowed her steps to speed slightly toward the marketplace. 

Loki only chuckled. 

\---

Exactly thirty-five minutes later, the Valkyrie was heaving with laughter over a half empty bottle of some kind of foreign liquor, a decidedly Not Paid For case of the same stuff slung over her shoulder. 

“You’re having fun!” she snorted, when Loki offered a wry chuckle beside her, his gaze already scanning over the top of the crowd for their next destination. 

“I happen to have some experience in this arena.” he replied with a small smirk, and paused before adding, “And I like to think I’m not entirely…insufferable, all the time.” 

“I’d put it more like _reeeally_ out of practice.” Val shot back with a small wrinkle of her nose, though she found that the grin wouldn’t leave her face easily. “Here.” she extended the bottle in her hand and raised her brows expectantly. 

Unsurprisingly, Loki wrinkled his nose in distaste. “Your mouth has been on that.” he informed, after a beat. 

“We share a bedroom.” the Valkyrie deadpanned, though she drew the bottle back to her own lips with a small shrug that conveyed, more or less, ‘your loss’. 

“A bedroom is hardly a bottle.” Loki quipped, though he seemed looser than he had in months even without the booze, so she decided to count it as a win. 

“Alright, Highness.” she shrugged again, before turning to face forward and survey the marketplace. “We’ve got booze, fuel, and herbs.”

“The essentials.” Loki intoned wryly.

Val smirked, before continuing, “Anything else you want to grab before we head back? Thor’s probably on his way back to the ship.” 

“I imagine he is.” Loki replied easily, though the gleam of mischief was starting to reappear just behind his eyes. “However, I think we have time for one more stop, don’t you?”

Val furrowed her brow, though her unspoken question was answered the second she followed Loki’s gaze to where it was directed some feet away. 

There, at the corner of the marketplace, was a small wooden booth displaying an array of ornate knives and daggers. 

“Seriously?” Val snorted, taking another healthy swig from the bottle and raising a brow disbelievingly in Loki’s direction. 

“One of my Sakaaran blades was damaged during our hasty exodus from Asgard.” Loki explained with a somewhat lazy, disinterested air, as if he did not really care either way whether or not they stopped. 

Only the way his eyes had remained trained on the table, surveying the wares with open curiosity, told Val otherwise. 

“Right.” Val nodded toward the booth. “Lead the way, then, Highness.” 

Loki flashed a grin, before moving forward to do just that. 

Val fell automatically into step behind him, already mentally preparing a haggle she could distract the owner of the stall with just long enough for Loki to work an illusion and take what he wanted. 

The tactic had worked flawlessly at each of their previous stops, and Val would admit with little chagrin that Loki, fallen Prince of Asgard as he was, had surprised her by his seemingly effortless proficiency at the art of theft. 

Though, she mentally conceded, she really should have stopped being surprised by the remaining members of the Royal Asgardian Family a long time ago. 

As they approached, Val was unsurprised to find that Loki had all but disappeared into the crowd, though if she strained, she could just make him out just a few feet away, still eyeing the stall consideringly and cloaked with just enough magic to hide him from anyone not seeking him out specifically. 

With a snort, the Valkyrie stopped in front of the booth and turned to face forward, opening her mouth in a greeting as someone stepped out of the building behind and into the light. 

The man was tall, taller than Thor, most likely, and had a shrewd look about him that set Val immediately on alert. 

A fact that certainly wasn’t helped by the expression of shock that crossed the man’s face when his gaze fell to her, followed quickly by one of steely determination. 

_Damn_ , the Valkyrie thought distantly, and took an automatic step back, the bottle falling from her hand to fall to the dirt below with a dull _thump_. 

“142.” the man hissed, something like delight glimmering within his deep set eyes, now, and reached a hand down to grab at something at his hip. 

_**Damn**_. 

“Lackey?” Val called, “Time to go!” 

She turned to glance briefly over her shoulder to where Loki had been stood previously--

The spot was empty, Loki nowhere to be seen. 

_Shit._

“Not for you.” the man behind the booth snarled, and flicked one wrist out in an expert motion. 

Immediately, something stung at the side of Val’s neck, and she had only seconds for her eyes to widen in comprehension, before a sharp pulse of electricity burst forth from the spot and her knees gave out beneath her. 

Then, nothing.

\---

The Valkyrie groaned as she reawoke, her head pounding and the world flickering in and out of focus for a moment as she blinked in an effort to regain awareness. 

The realization that her hands were tied was the first thing she registered, bound behind her back with what felt like a length of thick leather cord. 

She groaned again, and raised her head from where it was previously hung even with her shoulders with some effort. 

Immediately, she came face to face with the man who had been behind the stall, and would have reeled back, had she had enough reign of control over her limbs, at the moment. 

“Glad to see you awake.” the man sneered, though his demeanor had shifted drastically toward something more at ease, rather than his previous ire. “Comfortable, I take it?” 

“Plush.” Val forced herself to grit out, blinking past the last of the dark spots staining her vision. 

“Good to hear.” the man drew back slightly, though his gaze remained raking over her as if he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

_Charming_. 

“See something you like?” the Valkyrie snapped with as fierce a scowl as she could muster. 

“Not quite.” the man returned. “Though, given time, I think that’ll change.” 

Val fought the urge to wince. 

“Alright.” she managed a small shrug and glanced away. “What--” 

“Found her partner.” Someone from behind declared, so suddenly Val nearly started at the sound, only for her blood to run cold at the implication. 

_Shit_ , she thought a bit wildly, though she attempted valiantly to keep any of the panic she felt off of her face. 

They had Loki. Meaning nobody else out there knew they were missing for sure, and wouldn’t think to look for another few hours, at least. 

Even Thor would probably assume they were off dicking around, rather than realizing that anything was wrong. 

Though, in all fairness, that was exactly what they had been doing. 

Her mind already beginning to whir through the quickly dwindling list of options of escape they might have left to them, Val turned to where another man was lumbering into the room and dragging a stumbling figure behind. 

“Great!” the first man cried, clapping his hands together and grinning widely. “Maybe he’ll be worth something too.” 

_You have no idea_. Val thought morosely, and glanced to where the figure was being tossed to crouch on the floor beside her--

Only to blink, her mouth nearly dropping open into a gape at the figure beside her.

The figure who was decidedly _not_ Loki. 

The man beside her was blonde, for starters, his hair cropped close to his head and combed back neatly, other than one strand that fell, limp with sweat, to dangle in his face. 

He was significantly broader than Loki, as well. And, Val considered, under any other circumstances she may have taken just a moment longer to study him appreciatively. 

As it were, she simply stared as the man paused, heaving for breath, before he turned to meet her eyes. 

Val did gape, then, her brows screwing together into a bewildered frown before she could stop them. 

The eyes, currently shooting her a very stern warning glare, were Loki’s. 

“A companion.” the man before them mused, suddenly enough that they both jolted, slightly. “I was under the impression that you worked alone, 142.”

“This one wasn’t necessarily by choice.” Val muttered, ignoring the somewhat sharp look the Not-Loki sent her. 

“No matter!” the man cried, loudly enough that they both glanced back toward where he was stood, a look of unbridled glee on his face. “I assume you know why you’ve been welcomed here.” 

“Define ‘welcome’,” Val muttered. 

“My dear man.” the figure beside her spoke, and though the voice was decidedly rougher than Loki’s (and missing that distinct accent, for one), Val nearly winced at the overt formality of the words. 

While Loki was, very obviously, accustomed to his honey dipped words working on most audiences, Val knew without a doubt that they would not work on any seasoned scrapper. 

She also knew, without a doubt, that the man before them was a very, very seasoned scrapper. 

“I don’t know who you think we are, but I assure you.” the Not-Loki figure offered a small, subservient nod. “We are simply traders, attempting to gather a few supplies before we are on our way again.” 

“Really?” the man perched one elbow on his knee, and leaned forward far enough that his nose was mere inches from Loki’s. “And do you know who you travel with, boy?” 

Loki offered an exaggerated expression of confusion, though Val could sense his disgust at the close proximity of the man. 

“This is my companion, Angela.” he informed, after a beat. “And I am--” 

“I’ve heard enough.” the man interrupted, casually enough. 

So casually, in fact, that his backhanding Loki roughly across the face not a second later startled the both of them badly, and Val jolted forward automatically as she watched Loki’s head rock back with a _crack_. 

To his credit, Loki did not make a sound, though he’d bitten his lip hard enough upon impact to draw blood, which was now dribbling down his chin as he turned to offer the man a scathing glare. 

“This is you, isn’t it?” the man was saying, paying little heed to Loki’s fury as he waved a hand over a small device held in his opposite palm. 

The object flickered, and after a moment a hologram popped up. 

Val tensed, and she felt Loki do the same beside her. 

The picture they were being presented with was of her, snarling and bloodied as she ran a blade through another figure’s eye. 

Val had no memory of the situation, though this in itself came as little surprise. 

“Scrapper 142.” the man was reciting with a small, satisfied smirk on his face. “You’ve stolen a number of very, very expensive targets from a number of very, very important scrappers.”

He leaned closer to the Valkyrie’s face, now, so close she could smell his acrid breath wafting across her face. 

“Including myself.” 

Val forced herself not to draw back. 

“Doesn’t ring a bell.” she replied with a small, indifferent shrug. 

The man smirked. “It wouldn’t.” he agreed, before pulling back and straightening, again. 

“You were shocking drunk, at the time.” 

_Ah_ , Val thought wryly. 

That made a bit more sense. 

“So what’s it to you?” Val continued. “The targets are sold, now. The money’s gone.” 

“No doubt pissed away.” the man snapped, before his features smoothed into something more relaxed. 

Val found that she didn’t like the look, at all. 

“Regardless,” the man waved a dismissive hand. “I cannot imagine the amount of scrappers out there who would pay generously for your head.” he paused, and seemed to consider something, before he chuckled slightly. “In fact, I don’t have to. I know.” 

“Good sir.” Loki began again, a bit of anxiety creeping into his tone, now. “I don’t--” 

“Enough!” The man cried, sharply, and this time fell forward a step before driving one knee up, roughly, to strike at Loki’s chin. 

Loki grunted, now, and fell to his side, his nose already beginning to dribble blood into the dirt below. 

“Hey!” Val snapped, her wrists jerking ineffectually at her bonds. 

“I grow tired of this one.” the man was saying, smoothing his hair back with one hand and gesturing at Loki’s crumpled form with the other. 

“That makes--” Loki gasped, and rolled forward with a grunt so he could sit up on his knees, again. “Two of us.” 

Immediately, the back of the man’s hand struck his face again. 

“Shut _up!_ ” the man spat. 

“Jethro.” 

The man stilled, his hand raised inches from Loki’s face as if preparing to strike again, before he drew back with a small huff of an exhale. 

“I’m not sure you’re worth the trouble.” he muttered, before turning on his heel to begin speaking in low tones with the man who’d interrupted. 

“Hey,” Val whispered, immediately, knowing that this might be their only chance to speak for a while longer. 

Loki turned to face her, an almost bored expression on his face, though blood still oozed steadily from his nose and mouth. 

And, Val considered, she might have been fooled by the expression only a month or so before. 

Now, however, the small flicker of anxiety behind Loki’s eyes was almost too obvious to miss. 

“Can’t you--you know.” Val raised a pointed brow, and glanced down to where Loki’s hands were bound similarly to hers behind his back. 

In all honesty, she was a bit surprised that he hadn’t tried any tricks with his magic, yet. 

Though, knowing Loki, there had to have been a good reason. 

And, sure enough, Loki winced slightly before admitting, “I’m weighing my options.”

He turned, then, and bared the side of his neck she had not been able to see, where a small obedience disk was stuck fast. 

“Right.” Val huffed and glanced away, not needing a further explanation to understand the reasoning behind Loki’s hesitance. 

Even if he did manage to conjure a weapon and free himself, there was a good chance the disk would be activated before he could take down even one man. 

And, she considered as a small chill ran down her spine, there was no guarantee as to exactly how many men there were hiding in the shadows beyond their line of sight. 

“Look,” she murmured, after another moment of tense silence, and turned to glance at where Loki was staring determinedly ahead. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for getting you into this mess.” 

To her surprise, Loki huffed a small chuckle, and turned a moment later to shoot her a wry look. 

“Don’t be.” he replied, after a beat. “Believe it or not, this is one of the...tidier messes, I’ve been in recently.” 

Val believed it, and opened her mouth to say as much, only for a voice from somewhere behind them to cut in. 

“We’ve got a third one, Jethro!” 

Immediately, Loki tensed beside her, all bravado draining from his figure along with the blood in his face. 

Val wasn’t sure that she was faring much better. 

_If they had Thor…_

Well, simply put, they were fucked. 

“A third?” their abductee ( _Jethro_ , apparently) repeated. “Of them?” 

“We think so.” the voice replied promptly. “Big guy. Blonde and angry with an eyepatch.” 

“Angry?” Jethro repeated.

“Was.” the second man replied with a small nod. “Before we subdued him.”

Loki winced, something like panic beginning to visibly speed his breaths, now. 

_No time for that_. Val thought, a little frantically. 

“Look,” she attempted, willing her voice to remain steady even as her heart began to hammer within her chest. “Like you said, I work alone.” 

“And yet here you are with two of your companions.” the man replied distractedly, and gestured to Loki again. “Your stories contradict each other.” 

“Please.” Loki spoke up, surprising Val with the hint of pleading behind his tone.

In all her time having known him, she’d never expected to hear Loki plead. 

Well, that was, not unless his brother was involved. 

“We’re not who you say we are.” 

“Alright,” the man muttered, abruptly, and rolled his eyes as he approached, drawing something long and blunt from his belt seconds too quickly for either Val or Loki to react. 

His arm swung back, and Val had only a moment to shout a wordless protest before the heavy end of the baton-like bar struck the side of Loki’s temple. 

Val watched in a sort of detached horror as the prince went down a second time, this time remaining still seconds too long, following the blow, blood beginning to slowly pool around his temple as he heaved for breath. 

“Take him out!” the man commanded sharply, and was already turning away as two men surged forward to grip Loki by either shoulder and drag him roughly to his feet. “Dispose of him. We’ll make enough off of her head.”

“No!” Val barked, unable to stop the cry, now, and began to struggle against her bonds with a renewed vigour. 

“Shut up.” the man snapped, again. “You--” 

“Stop!” the call rang out clearly and authoritatively enough that everyone in the room froze in their actions. 

Including Val, who paused briefly before turning to gape at the figure currently being hauled out of the room. Because that voice… 

That voice had belonged to Loki. 

And, surely enough, when Val turned, it was Loki who was stood at the opposite end of the room, his back held proud and straight and his jaw set defiantly. 

In that moment, Val considered that she could truly see the famed, fallen Prince of Asgard. 

The men who had been dragging Loki toward the doorway had fallen back a step in shock, their faces creased in twin expressions of confusion at the sudden shift, and Loki took advantage of the brief hesitance to take a step forward. 

“You know who I am.” he muttered, voice held cool and confident, even as Val saw the tension running through his shoulders. 

“I am Loki,” Loki continued, taking another slow step forward when their kidnapper did not reply. “Prince of Asgard. God of Mischief, and,” Loki tilted his head with a small, humorless smirk. “A much more valuable prize.” 

_No!_ Val felt like shouting, irritation rising within her at the blatant stupidity of the move. 

If there had been any chance of their getting out of this before, she reflected bitterly, there was even less of one now. 

“Asgard.” the man before them was repeating, though the look on his face was somewhat awed.

“Interesting, considering the rumors that have been spreading.” he added, after a moment.

Loki hesitated, so briefly Val considered that it would have almost been unnoticeable, were she not watching him as closely as she was, before a lazy smirk crossed his features. 

“In rumors, Asgard is not lacking.” he replied, after a moment. 

And, after a moment, the man returned the smirk. 

“Indeed.” he agreed, and took a step forward, his attention completely diverted from where the Valkyrie was still knelt, now. 

“Asgard’s favored pet sorcerer.” he mused, seemingly ignorant to the way Loki’s features darkened slightly, at the words. “Their ‘Dark Prince’...” 

“Indeed,” Loki repeated, hollowly. 

He paused, then, his gaze flickering briefly back to Val before he straightened, and his expression smoothed into one of cool indifference. 

“Take me instead.” he demanded, finally. 

Something inside Val froze at the words, and she could not stop herself from rounding to peg Loki with a bewildered expression. 

Not that the prince saw it. 

Rather, he remained ramrod straight, his gaze fixed pointedly ahead on where Jethro was facing him with a startled expression. 

“And what makes you think that we won’t just take you both?” the man inquired, after a beat. 

“I am, as you say, Asgard’s ‘pet sorcerer’.” Loki replied with a small snarl. “I could easily break free from my bonds and kill everyone in this room with hardly a thought.” 

The man before them did not move, though his expression flickered briefly as he continued to size Loki up. 

“But you haven’t.” he replied, finally.

“And I won’t.” Loki continued with a small nod. “If you take me instead, and let her go free.” 

“No!” Val cried, unable to remain silent any longer in the face of such blatant stupidity, and surged forward, only to be stopped by the strike of a hand across her face. 

“We have a deal.” Jethro replied, his gaze remaining focussed firmly on Loki as he offered a small sneer. 

An expression that Loki returned readily. 

“No,” Val repeated, kicking out fruitlessly as the same two that had previously attempted to move Loki seized at her elbows and began to drag her backwards. “ _No_.” 

Before she could do much more than kick at her assailant’s shins, however, an energy struck at the forefront of Val’s mind so forcefully she nearly jerked with the force of it. 

_Find him_. The voice commanded. 

And, when Val glanced up to where Loki was still stood, his defiant expression had all but melted away, replaced by one of almost desperate pleading as he met her gaze evenly. 

She shook her head, slightly, once. 

_Make sure he’s safe_. The voice insisted, before Loki turned determinedly back to where the man at the front of the room was smirking gleefully. 

“ _Loki!_ ” 

Immediately, there was a telltale buzz at the side of her neck, before she seized and fell forward with a small groan. 

The last thing she was aware of was Loki taking another step away from her, his shoulders set in that determined manner Val knew meant that, no matter how she or anyone else argued, he would not relent.

And she would have rolled her eyes at the sight, were she not so busy falling into unconsciousness. 

\---

When Val awoke, she was alone, shivering in the dirt at the outskirts of the marketplace, the faint glimmer of moonlight the only thing keeping her steady. 

With a small grunt, she rose to lean back on her elbows, noting that, miraculously, the obedience disk had been removed from the side of her throat. 

The relief was quickly outweighed, however, by the dawning horror that accompanied the memories rushing back to her with increasing speed, the longer she was awake. 

_Loki--_

“Lackey!” she cried, almost unbidden, and scurried to stand, her breaths leaving her in harsh pants as she cast her gaze around the empty pockets of desert that surrounded her. 

She was relatively certain that Loki was, more likely than not, still held wherever they’d been taken, an indeterminable amount of time before. 

Thor, on the other hand? 

She hadn’t seen him. Neither of them had seen him, which meant… 

_Stupid_ , she thought and fought the urge to simply shout in frustration. _Stupid, stupid, **stupid**. _

_Okay_ , she reminded herself. _Breathe_. 

There had to be a way to fix this. 

The thought firmly in mind, Val turned on her heel and began to trek back into the marketplace. 

She was pretty sure that she had a vague memory of where the knife stall had been, and from there it shouldn’t have been too hard to track down either Thor or Loki. 

Or, hopefully, both of them. 

Val inhaled a sharp breath as she reentered the edge of the marketplace, steeling herself in preparation to search for as long as it took to find--

The sound of a struggle to her right interrupted her thoughts, and Val turned just in time to see something fly through the stone side of a building, rubble and dust threatening to choke her, before a body landed limply at her feet. 

“Majesty!” she greeted, before raising her eyes to where Thor was stood in the newly punched hole in the side of the building before her, his shoulders heaving as lightning crackled faintly around his wrists and fingertips. 

If Thor heard her, he did not make any indication. And, after a moment, he stumbled a clumsy step through the opening. 

“ _Shit_.” Val hissed, and hurried forward just in time to catch a majority of Thor’s weight as he slumped forward, his shoulder spilling blood freely onto her own. 

“It’s alright, Highness.” she soothed distractedly, her pulse speeding when she registered the sound of multiple footsteps steadily growing closer from over Thor’s shoulder. “We’re gonna get you back to the ship.” 

“L--Loki.” Thor slurred, his eye bleary as he cast his gaze around the alleyway behind Val with a small frown. “Where--where is--” 

“He’s fine.” Val reassured, though the words sounded weak even to her own ears, and swallowed past the guilt cloying at the back of her throat as she began to drag Thor back toward where she was relatively confident the _Commodore_ was still parked. 

_I’ll come back,_ she reminded herself, firmly. 

She had to.

To her surprise, it was not five minutes later that they turned a corner and stumbled upon where their ship was still sat, though Thor had already begun to flag significantly, his breaths short and stuttered against the side of her neck. 

The sound of a furious shout sounded from somewhere over her shoulder, and Val inhaled sharply before all but dragging Thor forward. 

“Loki…” Thor muttered, shaking his head slightly against the side of Val’s shoulder as they hastened through the entrance to the ship. 

“Later!” Val commanded, depositing Thor onto one of the benches at the back of the ship before fairly sprinting toward the captain’s chair. 

As the ship roared to life, Val cast a quick glance out the window, her gut churning as the marketplace began to shrink below them. 

_Later_. 

\---

Thor, who had fallen into unconsciousness not long after the Valkyrie had steered the ship off of the small outpost, stirred to life just as she was tying off a tight bandage around the stab wound at his shoulder. 

“Welcome back.” Val greeted with a small smile, though she kept her gaze averted even as she turned to begin wiping the blood on her hands off onto a small rag at her knee. 

Thor did not reply for a long moment, and Val was briefly fearful that he had fallen unconscious, again. 

Only for him to inquire, slowly, “Where is Loki?” 

_Oh_ , she thought. This was much worse. 

Val felt something within her chill at the coolness of the tone, though she refused to tense, even now. 

“He--” Val hesitated, before her shoulders dropped slightly forward, and she exhaled a long sigh, fighting the ridiculous urge to bury her face in her hands like a child. 

“He stayed behind.” she informed, at length, and swallowed before gathering the courage to lift her gaze to meet Thor’s. 

Which was a questionable move, considering the stormy expression on Thor’s rapidly darkening features. 

“What do you mean, ‘stayed behind’?” he demanded, after a moment, his tone brooking no room for any avoidance of the topic. 

Not that the Valkyrie would have been stupid enough to try. 

“I _mean_ ,” she replied, willing herself to keep her tone as even as possible. “That he stayed behind. He--This was my fault.” she added, after a moment. 

“I--I don’t understand.” Thor hesitated, his features creasing somewhat at the words, before he continued, “They did mention you, but I don’t--What does that have to do with Loki?” 

“They wanted to sell me for a price.” Val explained, quickly, and carefully avoided Thor’s somewhat stricken gaze, guilt causing bile to slowly climb up the back of her throat. “Loki--” 

She inhaled a small, slightly unsteady breath. 

“Loki offered his head for my own.” she burst out, finally, unable to keep the words in a second longer. “He--he knew you were taken, too, and I guess he--he thought that the best way to--” 

She broke off, turning her head sharply and drawing in one long, steeling breath through her nose. 

“I’m sorry.” she muttered, when it seemed that Thor was not going to reply beyond a few small, unsteady breaths. “Thor, I--We can--I can go back--” 

“I hardly think that that will be necessary.” 

Val froze, and felt Thor do the same just beside her, before she turned with wide eyes to face the back of the ship. 

The back of the ship, where Loki was lingering in the shadows, leaning against the wall with a small smirk on his face. 

“You asshole!” Val cried, before she could so much as register the urge to do so. “I--You--” 

“Spectacularly articulate, as always.” Loki returned, his smirk smoothing out into something a bit more genuine--

Only for the expression to be all but wiped off of his face, his eyes growing as wide as saucers and his lips parting slightly as his gaze fell just to Val’s left. 

And, before Val could register the movement, Thor was all but sprinting forward, his arms rising to wrap tightly around Loki’s shoulders in a movement so forceful Loki was briefly swept off of the floor. 

“Ah!” Loki cried with a grimace. “Thor-- _Thor--_ ” 

“You idiot.” Thor hissed, burying his face into the side of Loki’s neck as he tugged his brother tighter against himself. “You damned _idiot_.”

“Fine thing for you to say.” Loki snapped, only to wince as Thor visibly tightened his hold. “Oh.” he blinked, once. “You’re angry.” 

“You’re damned right I am.” Thor growled, before shifting to press one long, forceful kiss to the side of Loki’s head. “I’m furious.” 

Val fought the urge to glance away, feeling suddenly as if she should leave the two to their moment. 

Loki, for his part, only blinked again, before his expression crumpled slightly, and he moved to bury his face into Thor’s shoulder, his hands coming up to grip at the fabric of Thor’s cape tightly. 

Val did let her gaze drop, then, and busied herself with slowly repackaging the first aid kit on the floor beside her. 

Even as the soft, hesitant sounds of Loki’s snuffling began to echo dimly at the far corner of the ship. 

\---

“So,” Val began, and took the seat on the bench beside where Loki was currently slumped, his elbows on his knees and his gaze trained carefully on where Thor was slumbering on the bench opposite. 

Not long after their reunion, Thor had begun to waver visibly, and Loki and Val had had only minutes to convince him to sit down before he had slipped back into unconsciousness. 

And, though Val had attempted to reassure Loki that their king would make a full recovery (his wound had, after all, already shown signs of healing as she had wrapped it), the worried furrow between Loki’s brow had not disappeared, nor had the sharp tension tightening his shoulders. 

“How’d you manage to escape?” Val continued, if for nothing than to make an effort at distracting Loki from his seemingly unflappable focus on Thor’s still form. “I mean,” she clarified, before she had to sit through another lecture on the inner workings of Loki’s magic. “I get the whole teleportation thing. Just...before that.”

“It wasn’t difficult.” Loki replied, immediately, though he did not turn to meet her gaze, and his hands continued to twist slightly together in his lap. 

“Really?” Val raised a somewhat disbelieving brow. “‘Cause you definitely seemed to be taking your time--” 

“I was _biding_ my time.” Loki reminded, and finally tore his gaze from Thor to shoot her a dry look. 

“Sure.” Val shrugged, slightly. “So…” she pegged him with an expectant expression. 

Loki hesitated, his gaze flickering briefly back to Thor’s still form, before he exhaled a long sigh, and slumped slightly further forward. 

“I happen to have some...experience, working past the seemingly debilitating pain of your ‘obedience disks’.” he informed with a small shrug. “Once I was certain that the tide was in my favor, I simply slipped my bonds and--” he shot her a small, almost hesitant look. 

“They did not have much of a chance of stopping me.” he finished, a little lamely, after a moment. 

Val felt a small chill at the words, though she quickly pushed the sensation aside in favor of pressing, “So...If you knew that that would work...” she paused. “Then why didn’t you do it earlier?” 

“I--” Loki faltered and, if Val wasn’t entirely certain that he was incapable of it, she would have sworn that she saw a small flush creep up the skin of his neck and cheekbones. 

“I didn’t.” he informed, after a beat, his gaze held carefully averted, again. 

Val opened her mouth to reply, before the meaning of the words caught up with her. 

“You didn’t know it would work.” she breathed, and felt her breath stutter slightly within her chest. 

“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” Loki snapped, though the effort at irritation was almost pitifully weak. 

“But you…” Val shook her head, slightly. “You still--” 

_You still sent me away._ Were the words she could not force herself to say, even now. 

_With no guarantee as to your own safety._

No, scratch that. He had sent her away, willingly placing himself in danger and knowingly sacrificing an ally that may very well have secured his own successful escape. 

Val felt her brow furrow at the realization, and she turned again to face Loki, who was sat with his shoulders hunched, one hand pressed to his mouth in forced nonchalance as he kept his gaze carefully averted. 

There was another beat of silence, before Val shot a hand out to land a solid punch to his arm. 

“Ow!” Loki turned to give her a righteously offended look. 

“You’re an idiot.” Val informed, probably unnecessarily, and rose to her feet. “ _God_ , you’re an idiot.” 

“So I have been informed.” Loki replied, and inclined his head with a small, knowing smile. 

Val offered a small smirk in return, before she turned and began to stride back toward the captain’s chair--

Only to hesitate, her gaze fixed pointedly ahead and back still firmly to Loki. 

“Thank you.” she murmured, after a moment, lowly enough that the words might easily have been missed, then turned to shoot a somewhat stunned looking Loki a warning glare. 

“Don’t do it again.”

Loki blinked, before he huffed a small, surprisingly genuine laugh. 

“Duly noted.” 

Val nodded, once, before turning and exiting the room entirely, unable to ignore the small warmth smouldering to life between her ribs even if she had tried. 

**Author's Note:**

> this is probably the latest i've uploaded one of these!!!! i am very tired !!! i'm so sorry if there are hundreds of mistakes scattered through here!
> 
> (this was honestly so much less angsty than my previous whumptobers and also! turned out so _long_ wtf !!! i love Val)
> 
> [tumblr!](http://littlekinng.tumblr.com) xx


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